Crystal River current., 1887-04-30
FACTS ABOUT THE GAR.
Incidents in His Stormy Life Not
Generally known,

Generally known.
While the private and public life OF
every other European monarch has fire..
quently given the journalists pen
occasion to cover ream of paper.
more or less. Alexander Alexandra
witch. OF Russia. has kept the modern
hierophants. to whom every secret is
known and who are initiated into
every mystery of life. pretty well at
bay. What has crept into print about
him. off and on. has uniformly been
marred by inaccuracies. This is easily
explained. The present czar is not
readily approached. and since his adj
vent to the throne especially he has
been hedged about SO thoroughly that
even the intrepid gatherer of news
has often lost scent before reaching
him. Alexander Ill. saw the frosty
sun of the Neva first on March 10 Feb
26 by the Russian calendar). 1845, as
the second son of Alexander H., and
was educated with his elder brother,
the heir presumptive. Nicolas. by two
Years his senior. The education of
these two princes was put into the
hands of Count s. Strogonow, but their
real ''gonverneur" was Privy Council
or Titow, recalled for the purpose from
his post as Russian ambassador at the
court of Stuttgart. In Titow's place
State Councillor Won Grimm was APP
pointed in 1858, when Alexander was
u years of age. From that time on
the boy drank daily deep from the
fount of German learning. as nearly
all his tutors were professors Of that
nationality. Grimm. however, in spite
of his German name, was an arch
Russian at heart and the early
influence of Titow. a Muscovite of the
sid school to the tinger-tips, had sunk
deep into the youthful princes soul.
Grimm, twenty years before, had
guided the education of the Prince
Constantine Nicolaiewitch. The militia
ny training was intrusted to an adjutant
general residing in the winter palace.
the religious instruction to a learned
old pope. and State Secretary Baron
Modest Korff, author of several books
on Russian history, taught the high
born twain all of Russian statecraft,
h story, and law they were DESTROYS to
learn. On April "a. 1865. the death of
the CZaorwitch interviewed ut Nice, and
Alexander. then just attaining his ma
jority, was solemnly declared the heir
to the throne In the following year,
on Nov. 9. 1866. he welded with much
pomp the Danish lady who had been
his late brothers flancee. Princess
Dagmar. King Christian lX.' s daughter.
Baptized in the Greek orthodox faith.
she received the names Marie Feodo-
rowna in exchange for her former ones
Marie Sophie Frederika Dagmar.
This princess. as amiable and accom-
plished as she is beautiful, was born on
Nov 26, 1S47. and was consequently
her spouse's JUNIOR. by two years and
eight months. The young consort of
the Russian heir came from court
where the loss of two beautiful prov
nces. just swallowed up by Prussia.
was mourned with tears of impotent
wrath, and where pious William by the
Spree had been daily mathematical
What wonder then that the beauti-
full bride made her young husband.
then in the flush of enthusiasm
so common to heir-presumptives,
sharer in her mortal antipathy to
the Hohenzollcrn dynasty. The palpa-
BILE effect of these uxorious lessons was
not long in coming. The prince within
few months was the acknowledged
head of the anti-Gernaan party at the
court, at that time and up to hour of
Alexander IL death divided into the
old Russian and the Russian or German
parties. In Berlin they were well-in-
formed about this, and Bismarck. to-
gether with his master, INDUCED in dire
forebodings as to what would happen
when Alexander III. should close his
eyes. The war of 1901 came. and
the flames burst out afresh with renew
ed vigor. The czar and his immediate
encourage were in full sympathy with
Germany at that time. and especial
pains were taken to emphasize this state
of feeling. The young Alexander. on
the other hand. had a well-organized
following of his own, whose sympa-
thies were strongly in another groove.
The inevitable result was that these
sympathies and antipatbies frequently
clashed. and that snubs and the ''cut
direct were dealt out very literally
and evenly distributed during the
whole duration of the Franco-German
conflict. and for sometime after, to the
representatives OF Germany as well as
duels ensued. and Alexander II. had
rather busy time of it trying to
allay the outraged feelings of this en-
bassador and Of that attache or Sec
rotary.
Occasionally, however, he. too, felt
provoked, and OH one notable occasion
the emperor was put into perfect rage
by his sons Prussophobous pranks. 1t
was ON the occasion of court ball
This happened to be given on the night
when the telegrapt,ic news of another
disaster to French arms had just reach
ed ST. Petersburg. The emperor had
been speaking of this to several of his
intimates early in the evening, and in
terms of admiration at the wonderful
achievements of German valor. Soon
after he had entered the grand ball
room in the winter palace. Prince Al
exander came in likewise. almost i'm